ROYAUME UNI – Lincoln - A medieval brewery has been discovered by archaeologists along the route of Lincoln Eastern Bypass. When this area was stripped of its plough soil several months ago a large area of rubble was found, and it quickly became clear that this was the remains of a complex of buildings with a long history - well over 800 years.The site was littered with thousands of artefacts such as pottery, animal bone, and roof tile, and it told the archaeologists that the buildings were mainly in use during medieval times (c.1000-500 years ago). The team was faced with the complicated job of making sense of many overlapping and intercutting foundations of walls and floors, yards and cellars, intercut with drains, wells and rubbish pits. We know from church records that in the twelfth century the monks of Kirkstead Abbey founded a grange near Washingborough, where they farmed the land and raised sheep. The archaeologists are confident that these buildings were part of the monastic grange. Among the more puzzling finds was a pair of rectangular structures with sloping sides of stepped-out limestones. But what were they used for? One clue is in the smoke-blackened floor and flue (gap in the stones) on one side: the likely explanation is that hot air from a fire passed into this space, gently warming a wooden floor above, and that the buildings were malt kilns, where barley was turned slowly into malt, to be brewed into beer.http://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/medieval-brewery-used-by-monks-discovered-by-archaeologists-on-the-outskirts-of-lincoln/story-30346623-detail/story.html

RUSSIE – Moscou -Archaeological experts have discovered the stone foundation and a brick arch of a 17th century white stone bridge at Slavyanskaya Square in downtown Moscow. According to the statement, for a long time, the bridge was believed to have been lost, while the discovery was mentioned only once in a document dating back almost 400 years. The bridge, leading to downtown Moscow through the Varvarskaya Tower of the Kitai-Gorod wall, was used until the 1820s. During the reign of Alexander I, the moat surrounding the Kitai-Gorod was filled, while the wall was no longer viewed as a defense facility.

TURQUIE – Yeşilova Höyük - Archaeologists have discovered an ancient settlement consisting of "luxurious" houses during excavations in Yassıtepe, which is connected to Yeşilova Höyük (tumulus) in Bornova district of Turkey's western Izmir province. Head of the excavation committee, Dr. Zafer Derin told Anadolu Agency that by studying maps from 1923, archaeologists were able to determine that there was likely an ancient settlement in the region. In 2010, excavations at Yeşilova Höyük, which is the first known prehistoric settlement in the Izmir region, expanded to begin work at the Yassıtepe site."We have discovered 10 settlements built on top of one another. The top settlement is from the Trojan period. We can almost say that we are digging up a little Trojan city," Derin said. Derin added that the long, thin metal and bronze axes and stone tools, as well as pottery discovered at the site were in line with artifacts associated with Troy. Derin emphasized that the houses were not considered individually when the settlements were being built, but that the whole space had been designed using an urban planning infrastructure on a single plane, with each house having an area of 75-80 square meters. "Luxury life began here 5,000 years ago. The pottery they produced is of extremely high quality," Derin explained, adding, "The people who lived here stored their grains and liquids both on the ground and under the soil. They took advantage of all possibilities to make life the most convenient and comfortable for them." Excavations also revealed empty spaces in front of the home foundations, which served as a type of patio for residents to sit, talk and pass the time.

CHINE - Yinshan Mountains - After two years of research, archaeologists Friday confirmed astronomical engravings had been found on a 2,000-year-old rock carving in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The five holes spanning a distance of 1,000 meters were found in moorstone rocks in Yinshan Mountains in the regional capital Hohhot, said Wu Jiacai, archaeologist with Inner Mongolia Normal University. Yinshan Mountains are famous for a large cluster of ancient rock paintings, and the carvings were found when archaeologists surveyed the area in 2015. The 2-to-7-cm-deep holes, with diameters between 6 and 10 cm, form a string similar to a pearl necklace. "When realized the holes were manmade, we began to investigate their meanings," Wu recalled. Archeologists used micro-erosion, a dating analysis technique, to confirm the holes were made during the late Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.) and discovered they represented Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn. The formation of the five holes, for example, the curve formed and the distances between them, resembled the estimated position of the five planets in 204 B.C., archaeologists deducted. The rocks used were also different in color and texture. For example, "Mars" was carved on a red rock, while "Mercury" was located near a creek. "The carving was in fact an astronomical recording by our ancestors," said Wu. Historical information suggests Modu, leader of the Xiongnu, defeated his enemies in 204 B.C., and the planets were likely to have been carved that spring at the foot of the mountain where he prayed, according to Wu. The Xiongnu were a nomadic tribe which occupied a vast territory located in and around today's Mongolia and north China. They founded their first empire in the third Century B.C. and were eventually conquered during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.). "The carving not only shows the positional information of the five planets but also reveals characteristics of each, which will help us study ancient astronomic understanding," said Wu.

INDE – Govindapur - In a major breakthrough in field of research by Utkal University, the students have discovered an ancient idol of Lord Buddha with seven-head snake from Govindapur area near Banapur in Khurda district of Odisha. While 80 percent of the five-foot statue was buried in soil, the face of Lord Buddha with seven-head snake was found outside the ground. The 1400-year-old idol was first found by Utkal University student Dakhineswar Jena of Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology beneath a banyan tree.